GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Megan Rietema is one of the tallest members of the Calvin College volleyball team, has a wing span as wide as Olympic swim great Michael Phelps and she is a matchup nightmare for opposing coaches because she is a setter.

Rietema is actually one of the best setters in NCAA Division III, and one the tallest in the country at nearly 6 foot 2. That’s like having a 7-foot point guard in basketball – who’s agile.

“Megan’s skills have allowed us to do so many things,” said Calvin coach Amber Warners, whose team is in the NCAA quarterfinals for the third time in four seasons. The Knights play University of Massachusetts-Boston (24-15) at 3 p.m. Thursday in a quarterfinal match at Hope’s DeVos Fieldhouse.

Opponents find it difficult to practice and prepare for Rietema and Calvin, Warners said, because Rietema can put up a block as well as pose a significant threat on the attack.

“She has been an outstanding player for us,” Warners said, “and a nice luxury, too.”

Rietema is a big reason why the Knights are ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division III. The senior, named the MIAA’s most valuable player, has numbers that influence both sides of the net. She averages 9.77 assists a set, but is also third on the team in kills (214, .193 percentage) and blocks (71, .64 per set).

Wittenberg College coach Paco Labrador has run into Rietema and the Knights in the regional finals the past four years, including a five-set loss in the finals at Calvin on Saturday. He has seen her impact on the team.

“The threat of her attack opens up the net and floor for her hitters to easily terminate for points,” Labrado said. “Her ability to save tight passes and digs allows her defense to play with confidence, knowing that just about any ball up to the net, she can get her hands on and distribute it to a hitter."

Megan Rietema is a dynamic setter, but also a force on the block.MLive file photo

Rietema was named the regional tournament’s most outstanding player.

It might be unconventional positioning for such a tall athlete, but it was also unplanned. Rietema didn’t gravitate toward setter; she was assigned to it as a willowy 14-year-old at Grand Rapids Christian High School.

“I was tallish, super skinny and I just showed up freshman year to tryouts with no club experience and didn’t know anything,” she said. “They lined up all the girls to see who was strong enough to set the ball the furthest and that was me. So I made the jayvee team as a setter and that’s how it started.”

As she grew, so did her skills. Rietema started two seasons on varsity, came to Calvin College and immediately become an anchor. She has been first team all-MIAA selection all four years.

The kills come from her height and athleticism. But, Rietema said, she never was interested in moving to the front row.

“I love be a setter, but I’d love to be an outside hitter and just go out and pound the ball,” she said, laughing. “But their job is hard, too. I wouldn’t want to underestimate how hard that is.”

Her physical stature also brought her attention earlier in the year when some members of the team visited the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Col. before the season. A wall with various records and statistics included the 79-inch wing span of Phelps.

“All the guys were going up there and nobody was really close, and then I went up there and really didn’t have to stretch my arms fully and made it,” she said. “Kind of cool, I guess, but also kind of embarrassing.”

Rietema matched it easily, even while holding her cell phone. The photo has since circulated through Facebook and Twitter.

She agreed the photo was part of establishing a bond that builds a team. Each is unique, she said, with a goal to develop success and to also enjoy the ride.

“A big part of it is watching us grow as a team and succeed as a team,” she said. “It’s not necessarily winning it all at the end, even though that’s an extra bonus.

“I haven’t had a bad team at Calvin. I’ve been so lucky. This team has been different because of all the girls we lost from last year. But everyone loves each other, has really bonded and we have the craziest and fun times. You really can’t ask for much more than that.”